Wichita eagle., 1887-11-18
EDMUNDS OPPOSES.
Eermont's Worthy Senator Kicks Against
the Name of Lamar.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17.-Secretary Lamar
is reported to have said in New York that
if the president nominated him to the
| United States supreme bench he "would
accept the position as the proudest honor
of his life" This is the first public utter
ance attributed to Mr.. Lamar relative to
the subject. 1t is to be inferred that he
would not have said so much if he had not
expected the nomination. No one here in
a position to be informed upon the subject
doubts that the president will nominate
Mr.. Lamar to the supreme bench soon after
the meeting Of the senate, and that upon
! the confirmation of Mr.. Lamar win de-
pend the changes in the cabinet which are
the subject of public ruGor. All these
changes will turn upon the question: VIII
the senate confirm Mr.. Lamar as an asso-
ciate justice of the supreme court? The
friends of Mr.. Lamar think that it is quite
unnecessary to ask that question and that
there can be no possible doubt that he will
be confirmed They are doubtless correct
il their assumption as the final vote of the
senate will be for confirmation but it is
not so clear that there will be no opposi-
tion
A gentleman from Mr.. Edmunds' state
whose responsibility and the source of
whose information cannot be questioned,
states that Mr. Edmunds within a month
has said that Mr.. Lamar ought not to be
confirmed as Justice of the United States
supreme court. The reasons assigned
were because of theories as to various cues
tiOnS of a constitutional character relating
TO issues of the war of the rebellion, which
are attributed to Mr.. Lamar and the fur
Their assertion that Mr. Lamar's knowledge
of ba low ic rhanpatirnl r,o+h Nh
cal. This does not necessarily mean that
Mr.. Edmunds will oppose the confirmation
nor that in his opinion, it would be the
Republican policy to oppose the confirma-
ton.
Senator'S very frequently vote to confirm
persons with whose political and conStitu-
tioual views they are not in accord but the
statement creditably attributed to Mr..
Edmunds is not without significance as
indicating TO some extent perhaps the drift
of Republican thought in influential quar-
ters Talk with one or two other senators
indicates that similar views are enter
tanned by others than Mr.. Edmunds
The objection which is privately made
by these senator's is that the results and
all of the accomplished acts of the war of
the rebellion Mr.. Lamar accepts with
perfect loyalty, but that as an abstract
question he still entertains the opinion
which he did in lSS6l-that the southern
states and all of the states had the right to
secede-and that he accepts the results of
the war as the final decree of force and not
as a consequence of proper interpretation
of the constitution or of the rights of the
states in their relation to the federal gov
eminent.
Some Republican senators have said, not
in relation TO Mr.. Lamar. but as a general
principle of party administration that they
would never consent to the confirmation OF
a man to judicial position who holds such
theories Of the constitution, and that they
would never vote to confirm a man for
justice OF the United States supreme court
who being in congress at the outbreak Of
the war. left his seat to join the con-
federacy. The indications are that there
will be some objections TO the confirmation
of Mr.. Lamar for the reasons indicated
but that the objections, if urged, viii not
defeat confirmation